Managing without being managed

In a place where people are well trained and experienced in their filed of work, why is there a need of managing them? Can’t there be a system of self-organising teams that pick-up and deliver what is required for the business?

Primary purpose of organisation structure is to enable high-performance and maximisation of everyone’s contribution from their best of their abilities. But, the moment someone is designated as a leader / manager of the team, the work and may the functional division, there seems to be new boundaries drawn, new rules established and the entire process of seamlessness becomes controlled. As the saying goes – Add a person in the process whenever you want to slow down the system and delay decision making.

While you design your own teams and work streams, think about ways to harvest the best out of individuals. Let there be a democratic process of identifying roles, process elements and rules for their performance. Of course, with the focus on the goal/outcome they commit to achieve. Let them find a way not to be managed by someone, but manage themselves in cohesion. Find answers to the question – beyond the needs of raising money and sticking the neck out for blames, is there any other purpose for choosing one person to manage? Especially when people are competent and willing to deliver their best? You might be surprised to see how well this culture evolves to make it count for all. Be brave. Start small. Experiment continuously. The context of your business and customers might help you achieve just the right mode of working – managing without being managed!